亚当·斯密出生于1723年的苏格兰，是经济学的主要创立者。他早年在家乡求学，在格拉斯哥大学时期，完成了拉丁语、希腊语、数学和伦理学等课程。之后赴牛津学院，在那里阅读大量书籍。1750年后，斯密在格拉斯哥大学担任逻辑学和道德哲学教授，并于1759年出版《道德情操论》，获得学术界极高评价。于1768年开始着手著述《国民财富的性质和原因的研究》（即《国富论》），至1773年基本完成，1776年3月此书出版后引起大众广泛的讨论，影响所及除了英国本地，连欧洲大陆和美洲也为之疯狂，因此世人尊称斯密为“现代经济学之父”。

Part Ⅰ Of the Propriety of Action

Section Ⅰ Of the Sense of Propriety

Chap Ⅰ Of Sympathy

Chap Ⅱ Of the Pleasure of mutual Sympathy

Chap Ⅲ Of the manner in which we judge of the propriety or impropriety of the affections of other men,by their concord or dissonance with our own

Chap Ⅳ The same subject continued

Chap Ⅴ Of the amiable and respectable Ⅵrtues

Section Ⅱ Of the Degrees of the different Passions which are consistent with Propriety Introduction

Chap Ⅰ Of the Passions which take their origin from the body

Chap Ⅱ Of those Passions which take their origin from a particular turn or habit of the Imagination

Chap Ⅲ Of the unsocial Passions

Chap Ⅳ Of the social Passions

Chap Ⅴ Of the selfish Passions

Section Ⅲ Of the Effects of Prosperity and Adversity upon the Judgment of Mankind with regard to the Propriety of Action; and why it is more easy  to obtain their Approbation in the one state than in the other

Chap Ⅰ That though our sympathy with sorrow is generally a more lⅣely sensation than our sympathy with joy, it commonly falls much more short of the Ⅵolence of what is naturally felt by the person principally concerned

Chap Ⅱ Of the origin of Ambition, and of the distinction of Ranks

Chap Ⅲ Of the corruption of our moral sentiments,which is occasioned by this disposition to admire the rich and the great, and to despise or neglect persons of poor and mean condition

Part Ⅱ Of Merit and Demerit; or, of the Objects of Reward and Punishment

Section Ⅰ Of the Sense of Merit and Demerit Introduction

Chap Ⅰ That whatever appears to be the proper object of gratitude, appears to deserve reward; and that, in the same manner, whatever appears to be the proper object of resentment, appears to deserve punishment

Chap Ⅱ Of the proper objects of gratitude and resentment

Chap Ⅲ That where there is no approbation of the conduct of the person who confers the benefit,there is little sympathy with the gratitude of him who receives it: and that, on the contrary, where there is no disapprobation of the motⅣes of the person who does the mischief, there is no sort of sympathy with the resentment of him who suffers it

Chap Ⅳ Recapitulation of the foregoing chapters

Chap Ⅴ The analysis of the sense of Merit and Demerit

Section Ⅱ Of Justice and Beneficence

Chap Ⅰ Comparison of those two Ⅵrtues

Chap Ⅱ Of the sense of Justice, of Remorse, and of the consciousness of Merit

Chap Ⅲ Of the utility of this constitution of Nature

Section Ⅲ Of the Influence of Fortune upon the Sentiments of Mankind, with regard to the Merit or Demerit of Actions Introduction

Chap Ⅰ Of the causes of this Influence of Fortune

Chap Ⅱ Of the extent of this Influence of Fortune

Chap Ⅲ Of the final cause of this Irregularity of Sentiments

Part Ⅲ Of the Foundation of our Judgments concerning our own Sentiments and Conduct, and of the Sense of Duty

Chap Ⅰ Of the Principle of Self-approbation and of Self-disapprobation

Chap Ⅱ Of the love of Praise, and of that of Praise worthiness; and of the dread of Blame, and of that of Blame-worthiness

Chap Ⅲ Of the Influences and Authority of Conscience

Chap Ⅳ Of the Nature of Self-deceit, and of the Origin and Use of general Rules

Chap Ⅴ Of the influence and authority of the general Rules of Morality, and that they are justly regarded as the Laws of the Deity

Chap Ⅵ In what cases the Sense of Duty ought to be the sole of our conduct; and in what cases it ought to concur with other motives

Part Ⅳ Of the Effect of Utility upon the Sentiment of Approbation

Chap Ⅰ Of the beauty which the appearance of Utility bestows upon all the productions of art, and of the extensive influence of this species of Beauty

Chap Ⅱ Of the beauty which the appearance of Utility bestows upon the characters and actions of men; and how far the perception of this beauty may be regarded